HP Pavilion A6220N Desktop PC (Intel Core2 Duo Processor E4500, 2 GB RAM, 400 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

Tremenda relación precio-valor, la maquina funciona a la perfección, para todas mis necesidades, que son las básicas, no he probado jugar en ella, para eso están las consolas, por su puesto trae un montón de programas pre instalados que uno no quiere pero en lo que le quites el peso extra corre muy bien!!!

I'm going 2 tell you right now. Most people will buy this computer because they either don't have time 2 build their own, or simply don't have the time. I will also tell you that it would be a big mistake. I built my own computer 4 $720 & some change that is much better than this. I'll compare the specs below.

Hard Drive

While this computer has a 360GB hard drive, mine rocks a 640GB hard drive that's backed with a 5-year warranty. Not 2 shabby, eh? That's almost a 78% bigger hard drive.

DVD/CD Drive

I have a 20x DVD/CD Burner with lightscribe/dual-layer capabilities which is the same as the one that comes with this computer, only faster, as this computer's drive is only 16x.

RAM

Though both my computer & this computer have 2GB's of RAM, there is a difference...the speed. The RAM on this computer runs at 667MHz, while mine runs at 1066MHz. Also, my motherboard has a max amount of 16GBs, while the motherboard that comes with this computer maxes out at 8GBs.

Motherboard

As mentioned above, my motherboard has a higher amount of possible RAM, but that's not all it has going 4 it. My motherboard has a FSB of 5200MT/s while this motherboard has only 2000MT/s. Quite a difference if you ask me. There are also a few different things you'd see my motherboard has that this one doesn't, though minimal.

Graphics

While this computer comes with nothing but onboard graphics mine looks stunning on my 22" widescreen monitor when it's connected 2 my 8800GT. I can't even begin 2 tell you the difference between onboard graphics, & an actual graphics card, let alone the 8800GT. You'll NEVER want 2 go back 2 onboard graphics once you've seen what "real" graphics cards can actually do.

Power Supply

This seems 2 be a big problem among must buyers. With this computer you get a wimpy 250-watt power supply which is good 4 nothing except what's already on the computer. If you even want 2 add a few things you'll want 2 upgrade your power supply first which can cost another $50 (give or take) 2 what you've already spent. However, my computer has a 700-watt power supply which powers everything in my computer seamlessly, AND leaves room 4 anything else I might want 2 add.

CPU

Though the CPU in this computer is nice (AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz), you might find mine 2 be the real attention grabber, being an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz.

Computer Case

I'm not going 2 lie, I don't have the greatest looking case, but it gets the job done, & with over 1900+ happy owners (including me) who have had no problems, I'm not going 2 complain.


Now, 2 end my review, I'm just going 2 ask everyone, why? Not really, I'm going 2 rant on some more, but I think people should really take the time 2 learn how 2 build their own computer. It's actually a very easy process, & can save you hundreds of dollars. In my case it didn't save me any money, per se, but I did get a much better computer 4 the same price. If I had chosen 2 make the exact computer shown here (on Amazon) I could have easily saved anywhere from $200-$400. Either way, I spent almost exactly the same amount 2 build a computer that is possibly 10x better. All the products I used are below, & if you have the time, I recommend you look into building your own computer.

PLEASE NOTE---I did not include the price of Vista. You should be able 2 find Vista 4 anywhere from $120-$200 depending on which version you want, which will obviously put you up a bit, maybe 2 $850, but you can easily leave out the 8800GT & use the $150 you would've spent on that on a copy of Vista, or whichever OS you want. Even if you choose not 2 get the 8800GT you'll still have better on board graphics, & all the other components will still be better as well. Hope that informed people!



-Samsung DVD Burner SH-S203N-------------------$26.99
-Western Digital Caviar 640GB WD6400AAKS--------$89.99
-BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G M2+ (Motherboard)------$79.99
-COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW (Case)---$49.99
-EVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512-P3-N801-AR-----------$149.99
-OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V------$114.99
-G.SKILL RAM (2x 1GB) F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK--------$59.99
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ 3.2GHz ADX6400CZBOX----$149.00


Please note, prices vary by store & time of purchase.

Purchased this machine in November '07. I was only hooked up 2 the onboard video long enough 2 see if the machine would boot up & when it did I immediately added a mid-grade video card & upgraded 2 a 430 watt ThermalTake power supply. I also added an additional 2GB system memory, even though the standard 2GB would have probably been quite sufficient. I'm not convinced it is absolutely necessary add memory 2 run Vista, but you can't have too much of the stuff either. Vista Home Premium is what it is...I guess we'll have 2 get used 2 it eventually. I don't have any particular problems with Vista, just some things rearranged & not where I got used 2 them being. The machine has plenty of horsepower 2 operate the Aero desktop so at least you get that benefit from the Vista OS. The Vista driver 4 my ancient HP PSC1210 All-In-One supported just the basic print functions (and not very well at that) & HP said they weren't going 2 release Vista drivers 4 that printer, so that gave me the excuse 2 go buy an Epson. The machine has flawlessly run everything I've asked it 2 run 4 these 6 months now, so I guess I have enough hours on it 2 be able 2 recommend it 2 anyone thinking about purchasing a new machine.


HP Pavilion A6200N Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 5000+, 2 GB RAM, 360 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

I purchased an HP Pavilion a year ago. It came with a broken 9 in 1 card. In less than a year the hard drive went out. Wanna know if HP service lives up 2 the ads? I found out...because of the two breakdowns. They fixed both, but when the machine was returned after repair 2 the hard drive, the front cover was broken. Two tabs that hold it in place had been broken during service. Not a big problem, but the fight I've had with HP since is the real story. They wanted me 2 ship the pc back again, rather than just ship me a new cover. They assigned a case manager since we didn't want 2 ship the PC back. He would call us back within 24-48 hours, during a time convenient 2 us. 1 1/2 weeks later I called back 2 see why we hadn't been called & was told I had 2 call the case manager during his working hours which start at 11pm Eastern Daylight time. I can't figure out why they asked us what hours were convenient 4 us. This issue still isn't resolved. I hope your experience with their award winning service is better because you may well be depending on it.

None of the problems described by negative reviews on Amazon occurred 4 me at all. I purchased this PC a month ago. As I am a gamer I will be installing new Power Supply next month, along with new graphics card, but even as-is the system runs World of Warcraft (an older game) at very acceptable frame rates on medium settings. Make sure 2 disable all of the HP software bundled with this thing in Selective Startup, (its useless).


This machine is a perfectly fine desktop 4 basic needs, & is a great platform 4 future upgrades, provided you upgrade PSU, which many other reviewers also mentioned. The lack of a dedicated graphics card is also a pain, but as there is a wealth of expansion slots, including PCI Express 16, it isn't that big of a deal.

All of these Vista nightmares I expected never panned out. Vista just isn't that bad an OS, despite what I feared.

Highly recommended.

HP Pavilion desktop PCs include a variety of features that make taking & sharing digital pictures easier than ever. The HP Pavilion A6220N Desktop PC gives you the tools 2 make working with digital photos & video clips fun. Organize, edit, share & protect your digital photos with HP Photosmart Essential. The front-panel 15-in-1 Memory Card Reader makes it easy 2 transfer photos & files from your digital peripheral devices. HP Pavilion PCs feature the exclusive Pocket Media Drive bay that allows you 2 add instant storage. The SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology lets you create custom, silkscreen-quality labels & artwork directly onto LightScribe-enabled discs. The Windows Vista Home Premium operating system is the preferred edition 4 home desktop PCs. SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology - 16x DVD+-R, 8x DVD+RW, DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 8x DVD-R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CDR, 32x CDRW & 40x CD-ROM Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 with 128MB dedicated graphics memory Integrated 10/100/1000 network interface High Definition Audio 8 Speaker configurable 56k Fax/Modem 2 Available 4 DIMM 240-pin, DDR2 Memory Slots Expansion Slots - 1 PCI slots, 1 PCI-E x16 slot (available) & 2 PCI-E x1 slot (2 available) Expansion Bays - 2x external 5.25 (one available), 1 external 3.5 (available) & 2x internal 3.5 (two available) External Ports - 6x USB 2.0 ports (2 Front, 4 Back), 2x FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports (1 Front, 1 Back), Headphone, Microphone, Line-in (Front), 2x PS/2, Digital Audio In, LAN, Microphone, Line-in, Line-out, Rear speaker-out, speaker-out, Side speaker out, Center (subwoofer) & VGA-out (Back) Front panel 15-in-1 Memory Card Reader Operating System - Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Dimensions - Length 16.28 x Width 6.89 x Height 15.24 Weight - 22 pounds Monitor is not included

Boasting a sleek & shiny black-and-silver chassis, the HP Pavilion a6220n desktop PC comes loaded with the all tools you need 2 easily create, manage, share, & enjoy your digital photos, home videos, movies, & music. You can easily burn your home video productions 2 DVD 4 friends & family with the dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner, which enables you 2 store up 2 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc & provides a super-fast 16x DVD+R/-R write speed. It also includes LightScribe technology 4 personalized silkscreen-quality, laser-etched CD/DVD labels created right in the drive.

Under the hood, it's powered by the 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture 4 improved gaming & multitasking performance. Store more music, videos, & data on the super-sized 400 GB 3 GB-per-second Serial ATA hard drive, which offers lightning quick transfer rates. It also includes an open drive bay 4 an optional HP Pocket Media Drive (which can add up 2 160 GB of storage). Other features include 2 GB of RAM (which can be bumped up 2 8 GB), an integrated Intel GMA X3100 video/graphics card with 128 MB of dedicated video RAM, a wide variety of connection ports on both the front & rear of the box, & a 15-in-1 memory card reader that's compatible with today's most popular digital camera formats.

It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition 2 easily playing your DVD movies & managing your digital audio library, you'll be able 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, & offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor has a 2.2 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), & a 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; & a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU & RAM, & a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  This processor also includes Intel's Viiv technology, which allows you 2 quickly turn the PC on & off (after initial boot) with a touch of the included remote thanks 2 Intel's Quick Resume function. It also offers specially-designed software that makes network configuration easy, 4 connecting 2 portable media players, DVD players, TV sets & stereos.

  The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized 4 multitasking & is ready 2 support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:

  • Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth 2 provide data 2 the processor when & where it is needed.
  • Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed 4 instructions used widely in multimedia & graphics applications.
  • Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology & idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core 2 help save power.
  • Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data 2 system memory during periods of inactivity 2 lower CPU voltage.

• Hard Drive: The super-sized 400 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect 4 storing a vast multimedia collection or 4 editing digital video. This SATA hard drive has a 3Gb/s interface speed that enables up 2 300MB/s data transfer rates (double the speed of the current SATA interface of 1.5Gb/s).

  This desktop also includes a drive bay that fits an optional HP Pocket Media Drive, which enables you 2 add up 2 160 GB of additional storage. The Pocket Media Drive also works with any USB-enabled PC, 4 easy transferring of multimedia files from other computers in your home.

• Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 2 x 1 GB) is a good start, but you'll want 2 add more RAM 2 handle today's demanding multimedia & gaming software. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. This desktop has an 8 GB maximum RAM capacity (4 x 2 GB). To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity & clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ & DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up 2 8.5 GB of data. It features 8x DVD-R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW, 16x DVD-R, 6x DVD-RW, 12x DVD-RAM, 40x CD-R, 32x CD-RW write speeds & 40x CD-ROM, & 16x DVD-ROM read speeds.

  This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text & images on 2 CDs & DVDs . Your software, PC & discs work together 4 a no-hassle way 2 burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert & burn your label--anything from a simple title 2 a full-disc work of art.

• Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP multimedia keyboard & scroller mouse (both with PS/2 connections).

Screen, Video & Audio
Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which includes 128 MB of dedicated graphics memory & provides up 2 287 MB of video memory allocated from the system. It also features Windows Vista Aero interface support & enhanced 3-D graphics performance--delivering over 2x scores on 3-DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, & customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
For expansion, this desktop has one PCI slots (occupied), one PCI Express x1 slot (available), two PCI Express x16 slots (both available), two 5.25-inch bays (one available), & three 3.5-inch bays (two available). It comes with the following external connectors:

• 6 USB 2.0 ports 4 connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras 2 MP3 players (2 in front, 4 in rear)
• 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port 4 connecting digital video camcorders & other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
• 2 PS/2 ports 4 connecting keyboards & mice
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 2 headphone & 2 microphone (front & rear)
• 2 line-in (front & rear)
• Digital coaxial audio input/output as well as surround sound speaker outputs (rear/side/center)
• 15-in-1 multi-format memory card reader, compatible with CompactFlash I/II, IBM Microdrive, Secure Digital (SD), miniSD, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), MultiMediaCard Plus (MMC plus), MultiMediaCard Mobile (MMC mobile), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SmartMedia, & xD Picture Card.
• 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
• 56K modem

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system 4 users with advanced computer needs, & it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities 4 turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center 4 watching DVD movies & accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center 2 record & watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) & 2 access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium & an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you 2 access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever 2 share files between other PCs in your household & 2 manage your laptop computer settings 2 more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools & technologies 2 help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting 2 a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you 2 manage & monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, & other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student & Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer Basic Edition, Roxio Creator 9 & MyDVD Basic, HP PhotoSmart Essential, & Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
It measures 16.3 x 6.9 x 15.25 inches (LxWxD) & weighs approximately 22 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion a6220n desktop PC, power cable, keyboard, & mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty 4 parts & labor 4 one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance 4 one year. Software is also covered 4 90 days from date of purchase.